Whether you’re a foodie, sports enthusiast, a
history buff, an art lover, or an avid shopper, Denver will surprise you with
everything it has to offer. While at NCRA’s convention, be sure to take time
between networking and educational sessions to visit the walkable downtown.

“Within a short walk of the Hyatt Regency, you’ll find plenty to do on the 16th Street Mall. Boasting 42 outdoor cafés, a multitude of shops, a bustling nightlife scene, and a free shuttle bus called MallRide, the mile-long outdoor promenade is a perfect venue for your convention extracurriculars,” said NCRA member and Denver resident Matthew Moss, RPR, an official court reporter with Colorado’s 2nd Judicial District.

Moss also recommends visitors to Denver make the 10-minute walk from the hotel to the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, the nation’s largest non-profit theatre organization. “On evening nights throughout the convention, the DCPA is scheduled to host legendary improv comedy enterprise The Second City, as well as Broadway musicals including Chicago and Anastasia,” he says.

Closer to the 15-minute walking range from the hotel, there’s History Colorado Center, an award-winning tourist destination and a hub for learning and entertainment. The area features the Molly Brown House Museum, home to the famed Titanic survivor, actress, philanthropist, and activist, and a portal to Victorian Denver; and the Ralph Carr Building, home of the Colorado Supreme Court and Court of Appeals as well as 11 major public art installations, Moss adds.

“If you’re up for exploring a little farther from the hotel, check out City Park. Take a 10-minute Uber ride from the convention site to a sprawling public park in close proximity to the Museum of Nature and Science, the Denver Planetarium, and the Denver Zoo. Farther out, yet worthy of your consideration, are Red Rocks, the best small outdoor venue in America, and the park that contains it, as well as the Coors Brewery in Golden, the largest single-site brewery in the world,” Moss says.

NCRA
member Brandi L. Burnett, RPR, also a Denver resident and owner of Burnett
& Neilson Professional Reporters, notes that foodies attending the
convention will find no lack of wonderful restaurants offering an array of
tastes. She especially recommends her favorites, Euclid Hall and the Root Down.

Burnett also recommends taking in a game to watch some Rockies baseball if there is a game happening during convention and checking out some of the many theaters Denver has to offer, such as the Buell Theater where the Broadway play Wicked is currently being performed.

“Transportation downtown isn’t too bad. The 16th Street Mall has a free shuttle that spans all of 16th Street. There is also the Lime-type scooters available for rent as well as bike companies everywhere,” Burnett adds.

Below is a list of the top 10 reasons to visit Denver according to the city’s visitor’s bureau.

Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre

Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre is famous for its one-of-a-kind outdoor concert venue that is surrounded by giant, ancient rock formations. During the day, Red Rocks is a free city park with easy hiking trails and a visitor center that includes a Performers’ Hall of Fame. Legendary musicians like The Beatles (1964) and U2 (1983) have performed here, and today, the summer concert series from May through October presents the best artists in jazz, rock, pop, bluegrass, and more. Seeing a concert under the stars is a magical experience. Red Rocks Park is located 30 minutes west of downtown Denver.

2. Denver Beer Trail

Take a self-guided tour along the Denver Beer Trail and sample the craft beer paradise in The Mile High City. Explore the featured breweries, most in the walkable downtown area, and you will find everything from stouts to lagers and all the flavors in between. Denver’s craft beer culture is thriving, creative, and growing larger every day.

3. Rockmount Ranch WearA true Western icon, Jack A. Weil (1901-2008), invented the first cowboy shirt with snaps and helped popularize Western wear as legitimate American fashion. Many of the Rockmount designs are worn by movie stars and music legends, all with the signature design of diamond snaps and sawtooth pockets. The grandson of “Papa Jack” Weil, Steve Weil continues the tradition today at the store located in the heart of downtown at 1626 Wazee St.

4. Denver Art Museum

See the famous collection of Native American art and explore the bold contemporary art inside and out of the new Frederic C. Hamilton building, designed by world-famous architect Daniel Libeskind. Denver Art Museum, located in downtown’s Golden Triangle, also offers free general admission on the first Saturday of every month and is free for kids under 18 at all times. The Golden Triangle Creative District is also home to galleries, fine-art studios, specialty stores, and eight museums, including Clyfford Still Museum and the Kirkland Museum of Fine & Decorative Art.

5. Larimer Square

Larimer Square is Denver’s oldest and most historic block, home to the first saloons and businesses in The Mile High City. Today, the Victorian buildings have been transformed into shops, wine bars and the hottest chef-owned restaurants. Look for the sparkling lights strung above the street, relax at an outdoor cafe or bar, taste the best of cuisine created by local chefs, or find unique clothing and accessories in the boutiques.

6. Union Station & LoDo (Lower Downtown)

Downtown Denver’s Union Station has undergone a massive restoration and redevelopment effort that transformed the landmark into a transportation, dining, shopping, and entertainment hub, all centered around the boutique Crawford Hotel. The station is a now a fun gathering place for locals and visitors — eat a breakfast burrito at Snooze, sip a beer at the Terminal Bar, sample the locally sourced cuisine at one of the unique restaurants, shop a bit or have a hand-mixed cocktail at Cooper Lounge. There is direct rail service between Denver International Airport (DEN) and this landmark in the heart of downtown.

7. History Colorado Center

Denver’s History Colorado Center features exhibits and programs that tell the stories of Colorado and engage visitors in the past, present, and future of the Rocky Mountain West. Enjoy interactive exhibits like a virtual ride in a real Model T, test your skills on a ski-jump simulator, or set off dynamite in an 1880s hard-rock mine.

8. B-cycle to Neighborhoods – RiNo, Art District on Santa Fe and More!

Vibrant arts and culture are just two wheels away! Explore The Mile High City using Denver B-cycle, Denver’s pioneering bike-sharing program, and pedal your way through Denver’s creative art districts that surround the city center. Explore the River North Art District (RiNo), which is rapidly becoming the hotspot for artists, foodies, and designers. While retaining its industrial character, RiNo still offers plenty of cafés, brewpubs, restaurants, and art galleries. Visit the Highlands neighborhood, just north of downtown, or the Art District on Santa Fe, which is home to more than 100 galleries, artist studios, and creative businesses. Denver’s art districts also celebrate the first Friday of each month with art walks where galleries are open late.

9. Cherry Creek

Cherry Creek Shopping Center is home to more than 160 stores and restaurants including Macy’s, Neiman Marcus, Nordstrom, Abercrombie & Fitch, Levi’s, Michael Kors, and Hugo Boss. Visit the guest services desk and ask for your “Passport to Shopping,” which offers discounts for more than 60 stores and restaurants. Head across 1st Avenue to find the charming, tree-lined streets of the Cherry Creek North neighborhood. Here you can explore galleries, boutiques, restaurants, coffee shops, spas, and more. Cherry Creek is located just 15 minutes southeast of downtown.

10. Denver Attraction Passes

The Mile High City offers you two different passes
to take advantage of the great attractions throughout the city. The Mile High
Culture Pass gives you three days to explore many of Denver’s top art and
cultural museums, while the Denver CityPASS gives you access to three, four, or
five of Denver’s most popular attractions for seven days. Explore the two
options at DenverAttractionPass.com.

The special savings on registration fees for the 2019 Convention & Expo happening Aug. 15-18 in Denver, Colo., end today. Don’t miss this opportunity to take advantage of the special pricing of a $50 discount on the full registration.

While taking
advantage of this opportunity to save, be sure to reserve your hotel room for the Convention at the Hyatt Regency Denver at Colorado Convention
Center. Support NCRA and help keep rates for member events low by staying at
the host hotel. Not only do you enjoy special lodging pricing, but you’ll also
enjoy great amenities including continental breakfast on Friday and Saturday.
Plus, staying at the host hotel puts you right at the site of all the exciting
happenings including networking opportunities, educational sessions, the Expo
floor, and this year’s keynote speaker the well-known Erin Brockovich, consumer
advocate and environmentalist who served as the inspiration for the movie that
carries her name.

Don’t
miss your chance to save on registration fees, hotel rates, and be in the
middle of the excitement planned for court reporters, captioners, legal
videographers, and scopists, including the two-day CRC Workshop and CRC Exam,
the ever-popular CRR Boot Camp, full-day vendor training workshops, and the
Punctuation Workshop. And remember, throughout the Convention attendees can
earn up to 1.175 CEUs.

Other
highlights include such ticketed networking opportunities as the Opening
Reception, the Awards Luncheon, and the Member Recognition Gala. The annual
Realtime and Speed Contests are also expected to sell out quickly, so don’t
delay registering for these special events!

For
more information about the 2019 NCRA Convention & Expo, or to register, visit
NCRA.org/Convention. Don’t let procrastination make you miss the
special pricing in effect through May 15 that will get early
registrants a $50 discount on the full registration.

The Denver Post reported on Jan. 3 that the owner of the Pepsi Center Arena will begin providing open captioning during non-concert events including major league teams in the fall. The decision follows a lawsuit by a woman who is deaf who claimed the lack of captioning at the venue violated the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Denver, Colo.,–based court reporting firm Stevens-Koenig Reporting announced in a press release issued Nov. 27 that it has acquired Carpenter Reporting, a full-service court reporting firm located in the Aurora area.

Fox News 31 in Denver, Colo., aired a story on Nov. 12 about a class-action lawsuit that has been filed against Kroenke Sports and Entertainment and the Pepsi Center. The suit was filed on behalf of a woman who is deaf who said the facility is not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act because it does not providing closed captioning at events.

The JCR Awards were created as a way to highlight the innovative and forward-thinking practices of NCRA members and to recognize how court reporters, captioners, and legal videographers are leading the profession.

These individuals and organizations are being recognized as being the best-in-class for the noted categories.

Judy Stevens, who owns Stevens-Koenig Reporting, was nominated by several reporters and staff members, who shared stories of her leadership and drive. “I’m one of four reporters who are tag-teaming an unusual trial case. Judy’s help in guiding me through what is outside of my comfort zone is quite reassuring,” wrote Becky Collings, RPR. “I recently passed the Colorado Realtime Certification test, and Judy is getting me ready to start that next journey of my career.” Several of the nominations also spoke about the meetings, often held at her home, where reporters can get together to socialize and ex- change steno briefs. Stevens has also brought in realtime trainers or motivational speakers for her staff and reporters for these gatherings, which have built a strong support network for everyone.

Debbie Weaver receiving the 2015 Spirit of Justice Award

Community outreach

Midwest Litigation Services

St. Louis, Mo.

Debbie Weaver of Midwest Litigation Services has been actively involved in supporting equal access to justice through a number of pro bono organizations in St. Louis. One of the organizations the company supports is Let’s Start, a program dedicated to assisting women and their children in the transition from prison life to society. The company supports this group by volunteering at annual fundraisers and supplying packed lunches for a bus ride to take the children to the local prison to visit their mothers. In addition, the company has participated with the Bar Association of Metropolitan St. Louis in Read Across America, a literacy program; Motion for Kids, a party thrown for children who have parents affected by the criminal justice system; and other events.

White Coat Captioning screen from !!Con 2015.

Service in a nonlegal setting

White Coat Captioning

Saint Albans, Vt.

White Coat Captioning has been expanding its business to captioning several technical conferences, including a last-minute conference where the company replaced a group that was providing “nonsensical captions.” “People were very unhappy with the captions,” wrote Mirabai

Knight, RDR, CRR, CRC, who nominated the company (for which she works). Knight said that the company was able to completely turn around the comments. “As soon as we came on board, the entire social media reception to the captioning had completely changed. People started talking about how helpful the captions were and how impressed they were with the quality and accuracy of the captions, even saying that they wanted captioning at all their conferences in the future! It was a total reversal of the previous reception.”

Knight went on to explain that the company has been focused on the conference captioning work because it hopes to change the status quo, where the only way to get captioning was for a person who was deaf or hard of hearing to invoke their ADA rights. “One in seven people has hearing loss,” notes Knight, “so in an audience of 100 people, at least 14 will benefit from captioning.” White Coat Captioning seeks to make captioned conferences the new standard for conferences.

Christine Phipps caught in a relaxed moment during the workday.

Individual member

Christine Phipps, RDR

North Palm Beach, Fla.

Categories recognized: Leadership and team-building, marketing and customer service, use of technology, community outreach

Dedicated. Hard-working. Determined. Tech- savvy. These are the words used to describe Christine Phipps by those who nominated her. “Christine Phipps is the type of person who will go out of her way,” wrote Jacqueline Andujar in her nomination. It was what inspired Andujar to go into business with Phipps, back when the company was run out of a bedroom in Phipps’ house. “Christine’s main goal is always to make her clients happy. She takes the time to listen and care.”

“Her passion is so contagious!” wrote Sherry Laurino in her nomination of Phipps. Laurino went on to say that it was Phipps who inspired her own entrepreneurial skills. “No one has more passion and love for court reporting and is committed to the growth and longevity of this industry,” Laurino said.

When she is preparing to meet a new client and show what her company has to offer, Phipps will go above and beyond to make sure the client understands and is satisfied. Even with other reporters, Phipps takes the time to update them with anything new and explains it. In addition, she has taken the time to write several articles on technology for the profession to make sure that everyone is aware of the latest trends and news.

“She is dedicated to teaching while not forgetting where she came from,” wrote Laurino. One of Phipps’ passions has been to help students of the profession and new profession. She led a charge to provide a number of students with memberships to NCRA in 2015 with posts about “Paying it forward” to the next generation, as well as donating several of the memberships herself.

“As her employee now, I have nothing but admiration and respect for her. She has been nothing but supportive, respectful, loyal, open-minded, and just an amazing person to work for,” said Andujar.

Honorable mentions

The Varallo Group

Worcester, Mass.

Categories recognized: Leadership and team-building

During 2015, the Varallo Group offered its employees a fitness program, which gave them the opportunity to establish health goals and meet and work with a personal trainer. The program was a huge success and produced immediate results that were clearly measurable, including weight loss and decreased absenteeism. An added benefit was that the employees grew closer through their shared experiences; for example, several employees ran together in their first-ever 5k race.

Cuyahoga Community College

Cuyahoga, Ohio

Categories recognized: Use of technology

The nomination for Cuyahoga Community College noted its use of technology to enhance students’ academic success, realtime writing achievement, and program satisfaction. From attending an introductory webinar before deciding to sign up for the program to its Blackboard Learning Management System, from using computer-compatible steno machines from the first day of class to accessing drills through Realtime Coach, the court reporting and captioning program uses technology to increase student satisfaction and eventual success.

Paradigm Reporting & Captioning

Minneapolis, Minn.

Categories recognized: Community outreach

Paradigm Reporting & Captioning donates to many local organizations, particularly legal associations and nonprofits that support the deaf and hard-of-hearing community. The Paradigm CART Captioning division provides many hours of pro bono services, including, in September, the captioning for the local Walk4Hearing that benefited the Hearing Loss Association of America. In addition, the company assembled 22 walkers to participate as “Team Paradigm.”

Caption First

Monument, Colo.

Categories recognized: Service in a nonlegal setting

Caption First, a company that offers remote and on-site captioning in a secure environment, established a call center that would offer stenographic relay services to people with hearing loss. The company used this as both a way to hire new stenographic professionals to hone their skills and a way to demonstrate stenographic skills to a broad audience. “It was a ‘court reporting continuum’ as it allowed new folks to work and provided relief to those who are winding down and don’t want to produce transcripts,” wrote Lesia Mervin, RMR, CRR, in her nomination. “And it, of course, highlighted realtime skills — always realtime skills.”

Cuyahoga Community College in Parma, Ohio

Schools: Leadership and team-building

Kelly Moranz, CRI

Cleveland, Ohio

At the Cuyahoga Community College in Parma, Ohio, Kelly Moranz spearheaded a mentoring program among all of the students, as well as with professionals. In addition, Moranz has supported the students in creating a new Captioning & Court Reporting Club. The club organized a Write-A-Thon (where all students had sponsors donate money as they wrote for five hours) and a bake sale. As Kristina Carmody wrote in her nomination, Moranz “generously donated and contributed time, money, and service to our fundraiser and even stayed the entire time and helped sell the baked goods while we wrote.”

Moranz is also in charge of recruiting new students for the program. Among the places that the school presents is a program called Women in Transition, which addresses women changing occupations or getting second careers later in life.

When Iowa court reporters received the news that AIB College of Business, which had been in place since the 1930s, would phase out the court reporting and captioning programs, the Iowa Court Reporters Association (ICRA) immediately went to work. The ICRA Board of Directors engaged Cathy Penniston, RPR, CRI, to investigate the matter, compile a report on successful court reporting schools throughout the country, and suggest a school in Iowa that could teach court reporting.

Penniston recommended contacting Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC), a well-established Iowa community college, to determine if it could create a court reporting program. When Stephanie Early, RDR, ICRA’s president at the time, and Bill Wimmer, its legislative representative, approached the school’s officials, they assured the school that ICRA was fully committed to assisting with the implementation of a court reporting program at DMACC.

DMACC’s 2015 incoming theory students

The DMACC school was interested in the concept and contacted other community colleges that offered court reporting programs. They also gathered more information about the curriculum and endorsements that would be needed to put such a program in place. In February 2014, the DMACC Board of Directors and the Iowa Department of Education approved the court reporting program. Then, in March, the DMACC Newton campus hosted a press conference to make the announcement about the new program: “DMACC has been working with the Iowa Court Reporters Association for more than a year to develop the curriculum, hire the faculty, and work out other details related to starting a new program.”

In 2014, Dr. Patricia Ziegler, CRI, CPE, was hired as a professor and program chair for DMACC’s new court reporting program, and in September of that year, eight students began classes at the Newton campus.

Through 2014-15, Iowa court reporters and AIB’s former vice president of admissions actively promoted the new program. More than 300 visits were made to Iowa high schools, career fairs, libraries, mock trials, and the Iowa State Fair. Through the Adopt-a- County project, Iowa court reporters marketed the profession and this new program in 26 of 99 Iowa counties. In addition, ICRA sponsored a student scholarship, and individual ICRA members mentored individual students. And in September 2015, a new class of 27 students enrolled.

The program is a success story stemming from the commitment and dedication of many, from the Iowa Court Reporters Association to the new DMACC court reporting program staff. As Penniston wrote in her nomination, “Because of the efforts of the Iowa Court Reporters Association and the hard work of everyone involved, court reporting education is alive and well in Iowa!”

Court Reporting & Captioning Week has put a number of NCRA members in the media spotlight, sharing information with viewers and readers about the vast number of opportunities available in the field.

Kicking off the week, Christine Phipps, RPR, owner of Phipps Reporting in West Palm Beach, Fla., was featured in a story aired by CBS affiliate channel 12, while NCRA Past President Nancy Varallo, RDR, CRR, owner of The Varallo Group in Worcester, Mass., joined NCRA member Kathy Silva, RPR, CRR, a freelancer from Andover, Mass., in a story that aired on Mass Appeal.

Appearing in print on behalf of NCRA and the court reporting and captioning professions were NCRA members Donna Cascio, RDR, CMRS, an official court reporter from Somerset, Pa., who was interviewed by the Somerset Daily American, and Melanie Oldham, an official court reporter from Athens, Texas, who was interviewed by the Athens Daily Review. Additional coverage is expected to be generated throughout the week.

NCRA President Steve Zinone, RPR, an official court reporter from Pittsfield, N.Y., joined Tonya Kaiser, RPR, CMRS, a freelance reporter from Fort Wayne and president of the Indiana Court Reporters Association; Susan Gee, RMR, CRR, a freelance reporter from Cincinnati and president-elect of the Ohio Court Reporters Association; and Kathy McHugh, RPR, CRR, a freelance reporter from Philadelphia and president of the Pennsylvania Court Reporters Association in a panel discussion at the College of Court Reporting, in Hobart, Ind., on Feb. 15. The discussion, which took place online via the college’s Blackboard Collaborate, was hosted by CCR President Jeff Moody. More than 30 participants joined the discussion to hear what the panelists had to say about the greatest challenges they faced in court reporting school and how they overcame them, as well as how they were motivated to become leaders within their associations, the benefits of membership at the state and local levels, and the importance of certification. The hour-long session was recorded and can be heard here.

On Feb. 17, Zinone will visit Cuyahoga Community College in Cleveland, Ohio, where he will address students and faculty at the court reporting program. He is scheduled to deliver a keynote address at 2:30 p.m. ET which can be accessed via the college’s Smart TV channel online.

Official proclamations recognizing 2016 Court Reporting & Captioning Week from state and local lawmakers continue to be reported. To date, the following states have reported official proclamations: California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, Virginia, and Washington. Local proclamations have also been issued in Miami-Date County, Fla.; Johnson County, Kan.; Louisville, Ky.; Eugene, Ore.; and San Antonio, Texas.

Below are some of the latest activities happening during the week around the nation:

Members of the Texas Court Reporters Association are will host a number of Veterans History Project events throughout the state.

The Hawaii Court Reporters and Captioners Association has encouraged members to display the official 2016 Court Reporting & Captioning Week logo on their social media sites, hang posters at courthouses showcasing the event, and reach out to state and local lawmakers to remind them of the week.

Members of the Oregon Court Reporters Association will participate in a number of meetings with lawmakers and advocacy groups to bring awareness to the court reporting and captioning professions.

For a complete list of activities happening to mark the 2016 Court Reporting & Captioning Week, visit NCRA.org/Awareness. For more information, visit NCRA.org. Career information about the court reporting profession — one of the leading career options that do not require a traditional four-year degree — can be found at crTakeNote.com.

In November 2015, members of the Colorado Court Reporters Association exhibited at the state’s school counselors’ annual convention held in Colorado Springs. CCRA members provided attendees with realtime demonstrations and valuable information about the court reporting and captioning professions including the vast opportunities they offer.

According to Sheri Tackett, RMR, CRR, CRC, vice president of CCRA, participation in the event led to the group being invited to exhibit at a local school district college and career fair the following week.

Other CCRA representatives who participated in the events included: Erika Baca, a freelance reporter from Henderson; Rianna Elmshaeuser, RPR, an official reporter from Castle Pines; Cathy Holiday, RMR, CRR, CRC, a broadcast captioner from Colorado Springs; Shelly Hunter, RPR, CRR, a freelance reporter from Denver; Maria Orton, RPR, a freelance reporter from Aurora; Lisa Wagner, RPR, CCRA president and an official reporter from Castle Rock; and Rochelle Whitney, RPR, an official reporter from Colorado Springs.

On June 8, NCRA was one of several organizations that jointly submitted comments to the Federal Communications Commission that address the agency’s rules regarding appropriate methodology and metrics for assessing the accuracy of captions. The groups also reiterated their willingness to work with the Commission to help improve the quality of closed captions. The comments were submitted by the University of Colorado’s Clinical Legal Education Program on behalf of the group. NCRA was one of 10 organizations to sign the comments.

Following the fires in Denver in June, Monument, Colo., resident Walter Von- Feldt called for increased use of sign language and closed captioning for people with hearing impairments during emergencies, according to a June 18 article in the Denver Post. VonFeldt told the paper that the images on the TV screen left him uncertain whether he should evacuate during the fires.

We use cookies on this site to optimize site functionality and ensure you get the best possible experience. If you would like to disable cookies on this device, please review the section "Managing cookies" in the JCR Privacy Policy. Learn more